NASA's Feeling Flush
By Leila Sattary
NASA has agreed to splash out $19 million for a new Russian-built toilet for the International Space Station. The new facility is to be installed in 2008 and will last for three years. The price may sound astronomical but NASA argues this option is cheaper than building their own.The new multi-million dollar loo is required to accommodate for the increase in space crew from three to six on the American side of the station. The previous toilet, located on the Russian side will be retained for use by the Russian cosmonauts.
Assuming that the American astronauts use the new toilet three times a day, you can calculate that each time they ‘spend a penny’ it has actually cost NASA $1,000. Just when you thought paying 20p at the train station to do your business was extortionate!However the crew do get extra bathroom perks from their space-age bog. Although the space station toilet looks like a mere terrestrial one, it has leg restraints and thigh bars to strap the astronauts in place and provides more privacy than before. And instead of ejecting their waste to burn up in the atmosphere as the previous system did, the new system will allow them to recycle their urine into drinking water. The crew also have individual urine funnels that are attached to hoses that lead to the wastewater tank.
Leila's page.
More NASA antics:
Null exposes NASA con
NASA gets Vulcan-ised
Some toilet humour:
Wee research for wee boys
To pee or not to pee
Image: Xavier Lukins/Christophe Libert
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